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Eastonian Federation
The Eastonian Federation '(Eastonian: ''Eastoniska federationen), commonly known as 'Eastonia '(Eastonian: Eastonien), is a federal republic in New Iotania composed of three states with territories spread over multiple continents. It shares a land border with Catvia on Terra Gurrana and with Panzeria in Westerland. Eastonia is one of the most populous countries in New Iotania, with a population of 13,252, and has the world's third highest population density of 38.68 inhabitants per 1000 blocks. At 342,593 blocks, it is the third-largest country in New Iotania by area. Eastonia proper on Terra Gurrana was first settled by Iotanian colonists from New Gurrinea fleeing Old Iotania after the events leading up to the Abandonment, and was established as an independent republic early in the 1st century while retaining close ties to other Iotanian colonies. Since then it has expanded beyond Terra Gurrana, establishing colonies in the Great Iceland, the Kylling Islands and Westonia. On the international stage Eastonia is a major world economy, the third-largest by GDP, and a hub for intercontinental trade and transportation. It is also a leading diplomatic power, often acting as an intermediary in international talks through its unique position as host country for the United Nations aswell as embassies of most sovereign states. Etymology The name Eastonia is of Imperian-Panzerian origin and means roughly "land of the easterners", which refers to its location east of the Westerland continent. Old Panzerian maps show a widespread usage of the name Eastonia for the entire island of Terra Gurrana, which has since fallen out of use. In the Old Eastonian language, Eastonia was called Austland which has a similar meaning. History Iotanian settlers from New Gurrinea discovered Terra Gurrana during the first wave of colonization in the 1st century NC, establishing a trading post at Kaupmannavik as their new base. Highly independent in spirit, they soon broke away from the greater Iotanian colonial realm and declared an independent Eastonian republic. This initiated a brief conflict with the Catvian peoples of northern Terra Gurrana but an agreement to share the island was reached without bloodshed and the agreed upon border remains in effect today. The early republic was centered around Kaupmannavik but as the population grew, the Upper Eastonia valley was settled for new housing and farming. While the mountainous climate of Terra Gurrana did not lend itself well to growing crops like wheat, pig husbandry became a successful endeavour and was for a long time Eastonia's main industry. The Upper Eastonia valley grew in importance as a hub for the emerging railroad network connecting the area to Imperia and the Catvian mines on the east coast. A new town centre spread out around the central train station and by the turn of the 3rd century it had become Eastonia City, the nation's cultural and political centre. On the world stage, Eastonia became an increasingly relevant power as it invited other states to open embassies in Eastonia City's new Diplomatic Quarter. The new capital's importance as an international transport hub increased even further when the intercontinental hyperloop to Reuselerria opened. The idea of establishing an Eastonian base in the Great Iceland became a hot topic in domestic politics during the 4th century. Many believed it would be a waste of tax-payer money to even attempt settling such a remote area and that there was little to no gain from doing so. Despite this, the government went ahead with its plans and claimed the island of New North Eastonia for a polar settlement. A first expedition to the north established a base camp at Sigrunshamn, but the project was soon deprioritized as its proponents lost enthusiasm for permanently settling the icelands and only a small group of researchers stayed behind. New North Eastonia gained some attention when the leather industry opened up a venture for taming Icelandic cows but it remained an outlying territory of little importance in the grand scheme of things. In the mid-5th century, tensions with Panzeria over the contested Kylling Islands nearly escalated to an all-out war between the two nations after a move made by Austramot to annex the islands following the death of Eastonian nationals in the archipelago at the hands of creeper terrorists. This matter was settled when Panzeria agreed to cede their claims to the Lesser Kylling Islands in exchange for Eastonia recognizing Panzerian sovereignty over Store Kylling, now known as Hope Island, aswell as agreeing to the establishment of a wildlife preservation on Lille Kylling to protect the native chicken population. Around the same time, an Eastonian expedition to the west established the colony of Westonia. This was for a while nothing more than a minor outpost on Westonia Island but an influx of immigrants from Eastonia and the free city of Dalhem to the immediate north kickstarted a building boom and soon the main settlement Västerköping had become a city in its own right. At the time, Eastonia was a unitary state and the Westonian populace became increasingly discontent with the fact that they were governed directly from Eastonia City nearly a thousand blocks away. This gave rise to a popular pro-autonomy movement which eventually lead to federalization, elevating Westonia to the status of a free state on equal footing with the Republic of Eastonia within the framework of an Eastonian Federation. The Westonian mining industry experienced a boom by the end of the 6th century, which skyrocketed the Eastonian economy into one of major world importance and shifted the focus of Eastonian industry from iron to diamond-grade tools and weapons. The prospects of new riches attracted a new wave of migration to Westonia, encouraging the growth of Västerköping and also leading to the founding of Dödsträsk at the mouth of the Westonia River in the Swamp of Actual Death. When the Great Southern Road to Seri Agara opened in the 8th century, the region became a link between Westerland and Southland. The free city of Dalhem, which had remained independent but had close ties to the Eastonian Federation, was later integrated into the Westonian state in the 11th century following the results of a referendum approving closer integration. Westonia expanded further in the early 13th century as a result of Panzerian land cessions. In the 9th century, Eastonia brought together the other eight major powers of New Iotania to form the United Nations as a means to promote peace between nations. A new headquarters for this intergovernmental organization was built in Eastonia City which bosted the capital region's status as a centre for international diplomacy. The Eastonian Federation later hosted a celebration at the UN skyscraper to mark the beginning of the 2nd millennium. Eastonia supported the Traditionalist faction in the early stages of the Panzerian Civil War, but moved towards a position of ambiguous neutrality as the conflict progressed. A third state, Oceania, was admitted to the federation during this time after Hope Island had declared independence from Panzeria and later pursued unification with Eastonia. Eastonia experienced an economic upswing in the early 15th century as the result of a building boom in the capital region, but this was soon followed by a downturn after a disastrous hyperloop accident in which former President C. K. Gurra died and a shipment of diamond-grade goods valued at roughly 90,000 E$ (~5% of GDP at the time) was destroyed. It wasn't until the 16th century that Eastonia recovered fully from this recession when the growing fishing industry jump-started the economy. Government and politics Eastonia is a federal democratic republic, operating under a presidential system with a clear separation of powers between the executive, legislative and judicial branches. The executive branch consists of the President, who is the federal head of state and head of government, and their cabinet. The President is elected directly by the people in connection to federal parliamentary elections. The unicameral parliament Austramot constitutes the legislative branch of the Eastonian government, and it is the oldest legislative assembly in New Iotania. Its 49 members are elected from party lists in multi-member constituencies with boundaries corresponding to those of Eastonian and Westonian municipalities and territories. A party must win at least 5% of the vote in a constituency to win one of its seats. The judicial branch is independent from the other two and its highest court is the Supreme Court, headquartered in the Blåkulla Courthouse. Justices of the Supreme Court are nominated by the President, and their appointments are confirmed by Austramot. Foreign relations Under the auspices of Peace and Love, the Eastonian Federation maintains close relations with the majority of sovereign nations in the known world and Eastonia City hosts multiple foreign embassies aswell as the headquarters of the United Nations. Political parties Eastonia has a strong parliamentary tradition with many active political parties, of which six have representatives in Austramot: the Alliance for Peace and Love (APL), the Dalhem Cartographers' Union (DCU), the Eastonian Democratic Party (EDP), the Federalist Party (FP), the Panzerian Unionist Party (PUP) and the Social Justice Party (SJP). Alliance for Peace and Love The Alliance for Peace and Love (APL) is Eastonia's oldest party. Their platform is built on Peace and Love philosophy as a guiding ideology, and the party seeks to establish and maintain an egalitarian society in line with these ideals. They form an egalitarianist bloc with the DCU and SJP, and their party leader Nolanio Gurra is the current President of Eastonia. Dalhem Cartographers' Union The Dalhem Cartographers' Union (DCU) has played an active role in the village politics of Dalhem for centuries, and entered Austramot following the region's integration into the Westonian state. They have traditionally been pro-Eastonian and are mainly focused on trade-related issues, especially those concerning the paper trade which is a major source of income in Dalhem. The DCU is part of the egalitarianist bloc with the APL and SJP. Eastonian Democratic Party The Eastonian Democratic Party (EDP) is a broad front of Eastonian politicians seeking an alternative path to that presented by the Alliance for Peace and Love. They believe Peace and Love ideology puts too much focus on internationalism at the expense of domestic issues. Their party leader Cho Kola is a former President of Eastonia, and they often cooperate with the Federalists. Federalist Party The Federalist Party (FP) came to be as part of the Westonian autonomy movement and has been an active voice in politics ever since, advocating for less centralization of government and further delegation of powers to the individual states. While their strongest base is in Westonia, the Federalists field candidates nationwide and has managed to win a few seats in Eastonia proper aswell. The Federalists often cooperate with the EDP, and their party leader is Mona Cheval. Panzerian Unionist Party The Panzerian Unionist Party (PUP) ultimately seek the secession of Hope Island and northern Westonia from the Eastonian Federation to join with Panzeria. They are a minor party and active only in Dalhem and on Hope Island. The PUP is not part of any major party alliances. Their party leader is Ms Nöjd, Austramot representative for Hope Island. Social Justice Party The Social Justice Party (SJP) was formed by an activist group from Kaupmannavik to affect political change on the issues of social justice and rail infrastructure. Since the 15th century economic crash induced by a deadly hyperloop incident, they have been advocating expansion of traditional rail networks as a safer means of transportation. Their party leader Ninja Cow is the current Speaker of Austramot, and the party is part of the egalitarianist bloc with the APL and DCU. Administrative divisions Eastonia is a federation of three states: the Republic of Eastonia, the Free State of Westonia and the Commonwealth of Oceania, which all have their own respective state governments structured in a similar fashion to the federal government. These are further divided into municipalities and territories, with the difference between the two subdivisions being that municipalities have devoluted local governments while territories do not. Territories are usually sparsely populated or uninhabited areas. List of municipalities and territories Demographics The latest Eastonian census puts the total resident population at 13,252 inhabitants, the highest of any nation in New Iotania. Eastonia has the region's third highest population density at 38.68 inhabitants per 1000 blocks, but this is subject to great local variation between different states and municipalities with Eastonia proper being significantly more densely populated than Westonia. Ethnic groups Eastonia is a multi-ethnic country but a majority of the population (62%) are of Eastonian ethnicity. Nearly 30% of Eastonians identify as Westerlanders which is a broad definition including Westonian natives and Kylling Islanders aswell as immigrants from Panzeria, Imperia and the White City territories. Westerlanders make up the majority in Hope Island and Dalhem, and are a significant minority in other Westonian municipalities. The Seri community is Eastonia's third largest ethnic group as a result of immigration from the south, and other minor ethnic groups include Reuselerrians, Oganians and Gryphonians. Languages The three official languages of Eastonia are Eastonian, Iotanian and Panzerian. Eastonian is the traditional language of the Eastonian people and is closely related to the Vizar tongue, which is to some degree mutually intelligible for Eastonian speakers, something that points to a common Old Iotanian ancestor. The Iotanian language, a global lingua franca descending from Old Panzerian with major Imperian influences, is however the primary national language in modern-day Eastonia and the first language of most Eastonians. Modern Panzerian is the native language of most Hope Islanders and was given official status in the mid-14th century. Religion Freedom of religion is a guaranteed right in the Eastonian constitution and although a majority of Eastonians consider themselves atheists or irreligious, many different faiths are practiced in the country. Largest of these is Peace and Love worship, which is the spiritual aspect of Peace and Love philosophy. This is not an organized religion in the traditional sense but common tenets are a focus on meditation and balance in life to achieve inner peace and reach a state of enlightenment. Interfaith dialogue is also an important aspect, and it is highly debated whether Peace and Love is truly a religion in its own right or merely a philosophical tradition. The Temple of Peace and Love in southern Westonia is an important spiritual center for this kind of worship. Other religions with a significant following in Eastonia include Ngoiism, mostly practiced by Southern immigrants, Panzerian folk religion and Zerestianism, which is a syncretic faith of Reuselerrian Gynepaganism and Peace and Love worship that puts high value on a life of asceticism and isolation from temptation as the path to enlightenment. They consider the two seemingly extremely different faiths to be merely two aspects of the same religion which is shown in the motto of the Zerestian Order, a monastic order based in northern Westonia: "Peace is Strength, Love is Unity, Our Faith is One." Economy Eastonia is New Iotania's third-largest economy by GDP, and one of the most developed in the region. It ranks lower in GDP per capita but living standards are nonetheless relatively high for the general population due to a more equal distribution of wealth compared to other top economies such as Reuselerria and the White City. Mining constitutes the base of the Eastonian resource economy, owing to its ore-rich mountainous terrain, while agricultural products are often imported from Panzeria. This reliance on food imports has however to some degree lessened in recent centuries due to increased food production in Westonia. Overall, the Eastonian economy has a heavy emphasis on foreign trade and many transcontinental shipping routes go through Eastonia's ports or hyperloop system. In the 16th century, the fishing industry emerged as a major contributor to the Eastonian economy, and its growth is seen as the most significant factor in ending the hyperloop crash recession of the 15th century. State control of the economy is high, with many regulations and taxes in places to ensure a redistribution of wealth and high quality of life for citizens as well as a safe and democratic work environment. Sectors such as welfare, transport and infrastructure are handled exclusively by the state, and the Eastonian government controls the nation's share of the intercontinental hyperloop and other international transport systems through the Ministry of Infrastructure. Industrial sectors such as mining and agriculture are dominated by private corporations, most prominently Eastonian Industries which has been described as a "conglomerate of conglomerates" with its multitude of subsidiaries. Transport Eastonia has a diverse and well-developed system of infrastructure, including hyperloop, rail and road networks. The central location of Eastonia proper in the New Iotanian region has made it a central hub for intercontinental transport, and the island has one of the world's busiest hyperloop station in terms of daily passenger traffic. Eastonia City is also connected to the nether network through the Terra Gurrana International Netherport, and to Tyfeld and Imperia by the Westerland monorail. Hyperloop connects Eastonia with Westonia, where the Great Southern Road meets the Westerland road network. A light rail network known as Easttram (stylized £ᴀꜱᴛᴛʀᴀᴍ) services the Eastonia City-Blåkulla-Kaupmannavik Capital Region, with 10 stations on two lines. It's the only system of its kind in New Iotania, and also one of the oldest rail networks still in operation. In addition to Easttram, the commuter rail system East Coast Express traffics the line Eastonia City-Blåkulla C-Blåkulla Harbor on a former Catvian freight line. Flags National flags State flags Municipal flags Unofficial flags